Consistency in business is, in my opinion, the number one key to success. If you cannot be consistent, many things happen. First, your customers will not take you seriously. Lack of consistency in your business makes it look like you aren’t treating your business like a business. And when you don’t treat your business like a business, it is a hobby. If you want business success results, you MUST treat your business like a business.

The biggest struggle with consistency in business is making the time to do it. Even if you want to plan it out, you still have to sit down to plan it out. That can also be difficult to find time unless you make the time. Whether you have multiple jobs or kids to cart around after school, life is rarely consistent. Here are three things to help you make being consistent in business when life isn’t consistent at all!

Tools to Help Create Better Consistency in Business

Use a Planning Program to Schedule Social Media Posts

I like to plan out my social media schedule at least a week in advance. With depression, anxiety, and just general busyness that comes with being a business owner, I never know when I will and when I won’t have time to post.

I started using Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram. Instagram wouldn’t allow auto-posting until a few weeks ago. Now I can utilize Tailwind to schedule Instagram posts, find the best hashtags, and schedule content to be posted at the most optimal times for engagement.

Facebook in January 2018 decided to start cracking down on cleaning up news feeds. This means business pages and the like will receive way less reach than they did in 2017. Facebook also does not prioritize any posts that have outside links in them. Now I use the Facebook Post Scheduler. I can schedule posts for over a week in advance with pictures, comments, etc. The best part is that is FREE! Although it only works on a desktop currently, you can sit down once a week and post it and let it go. Consistency is business posts are complete for the week! WIN!

Write Out a Weekly To-Do List

Weekly to-do lists are the best for making sure you get what you need to get done! I suggest writing out a to-do list before bed the night before. My mind likes to bounce my to-do list around my head all night if I don’t write it down. Once I write it down I do not have to worry about forgetting something and I sleep so much better!!! There are many different types of to-do lists that you can use that works for you. On every weekly to-do list I make sure to include due dates of when it must be done by. This helps me prioritize my days when I am limited on time.

In addition to a daily to-do list, writing a to-do list that is weekly is essential for consistency in your business. On Mondays, I post on my team page in the morning and I go live in my shopping group to have Coffee with Christine. Tuesday is a day to order inventory. I always ship on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. These are just a few examples of what my weekly schedule looks like. No one’s weekly schedule will look the same. Remember, it must work for you!

Tell Other People Your Plan So They Can Hold You Accountable

I have a bad habit of saying I will do something and then later bailing on it. It’s a bad habit of mine I have wanted to change for a long time. If it is just me, I can talk myself out of a dinner party, going on Facebook Live, making dinner, having friends over, etc. BUT if I tell someone I will go live at a particular time or someone is going to meet me at a certain place for dinner, that seems to help hold me accountable for my responsibilities.

What things do you do to create consistency in your business? Comment below or Contact Me!

Join my Facebook group for examples of consistent posting in your business!

Every adult in the United States has at least one or more problems with happiness, satisfaction, and financial wealth. This leads many people to walk through life on auto-pilot. We only get one life and it is important to make it a good one! Creating happiness is an active idea. One must work at being successful. No one ‘wanders” into success. So many people get tired of working multiple jobs to just make ends meet. For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, it is common to see people who have started businesses but don't know how to make them financially successful. The most common problem is not having enough time or energy in a day to do everything they want to. These problems are what prevent people who have amazing potential in business and leadership from realizing that potential and instead continue to be a “wandering entreprenuer”.

What is a “Wandering Entrepreneur”?

I am so glad you asked! According to Google, Wandering is defined as “traveling aimlessly from place to place”. And the word entrepreneur means “a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money”.

One of the most defining characteristics of most financially successful individuals versus those who are not is this: They read every day. 67% of rich people watch less than 1 hour of TV a day.

Here is a summary of the books I have read in the last year that I think are Must Reads for those who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs of any kind. Get started now and you never know what you will find!

1. The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users

How to Be More Deliberate in What You Want Out of Social Media

This book has larger font and is more of a reference book than anything. The takeaways in this are gold nuggets for those who want to be entrepreneurs. Social media can determine a business’s success or failure. 20 years ago, a business had to spend LOTS of money for advertising and marketing. Now, many startups do not even need to spend any money on advertising. Even if they do, it can be a very small amount. If you are a wandering entrepreneur, this book will help you get started doing at least something in the social media world more purposely.

Not only is there great content in this book but it shows all the different apps and programs available now to make your social media and your time more efficient and productive. Even if you don’t use any of the programs or apps suggested you at least know they are out there. In the future when your business grows, you need to streamline many systems and these will be within your knowledge. Lastly, the author has an impressive resume, giving him some credibility to what he says.

2. Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money Making Machine

Managing money is one of the MOST important tools to go from a wandering entrepreneur to a successful entrepreneur!

Profit First was a book that changed the way I looked at my business finances. I was tired of not paying myself and wondering at the end of the year if my accounting documents say I profited $25,000 where did it go? It sure wasn’t in my bank account! As a business owner, you never just work 9-5 Monday through Friday. It can be super frustrating not seeing the fruits of your labors. Just reading the first half of Profit First made me realize I NEEDED to budget in at least a little money in my pocket every month even if it was just a little, to incentivize me to continue to work hard. If you are a wandering entrepreneur', this is the importantpart – how to determine where and what you want your money to be spent. The money doesn't go away on its own; you determine how to want to use it!

Profit First can be a little too technical for those who don’t understand accounting. The second half of the book went a little over my head. The first half of the book is worth buying the entire book, however. Realizing the importance of striking a balance between taking too much money out of your business versus not taking any money out for yourself can mean the difference in how you continue to do business. Business owner burnout is real and can be avoided by using tools like they suggest in this book.

Sometimes making mistakes can be the most valuable thing you do to grow yourself and your entrepreneurial skills.

This is by far my favorite book to read so far. Ms. Hadeed shows humility and understanding of how we feel like we are inadequate, in personal relationships or business. By reading her story of how she was able to create a large business from the desire to buy a new pair of expensive jeans I was inspired to get out of my own way. My take away from this book was it’s okay to mess up! And in reality, if you are doing it right, you WILL screw up! It is how you overcome the mess that defines who you really are. She doesn’t explicitly tell you this in the book but she takes every disaster that could have been the demise of her business and once it is resolved uses reflectiveness to determine where it went wrong and how not to make the same mistake.

Remember, whether you are starting your own direct sales business or your own lemonade stand, you will make mistakes. You actually learn more from your mistakes than your successes. Mistakes make you wiser and stimulate personal and professional growth.

What books have you read recently? I would love to hear! Send me a message!

Want to see some of the takeaways from these books in action? Come join me in my Facebook community for ideas and suggestions to implement in your business!

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Every time Facebook comes out with a new feature, I think, “What can they possibly think of more?”. I personally have enjoyed the multitude of ways I can now be involved with friends and family (and the cute dog videos of course!) However, for my business, Facebook Live has rocked my world! Now I can finally sell via a platform that makes all of us unique!Selling on Facebook Live

Facebook and its preference for videos have changed the way I do business over the last three years. In October 2014, LuLaRoe was just a baby and no one sold online. Then, it was the use of albums and taking pictures of every single item of clothing. It was NOT at all effective! Since the growth of Facebook Live, not only can LuLaRoe Independent Retailers be more efficient in getting their product to customers but EVERYONE who sells on Facebook or another social media platform.

Just because it is easier and more efficient to sell via video platforms like Facebook Live does not mean that Retailers and other Multi-Level Marketing representatives should sacrifice professionalism and presentation!

Here are my 5 Top Tips for Selling on Facebook Live:

Look Your Best in a Quiet and Appealing Location

Don’t look like you haven’t brushed your teeth in 4 days or that you are hanging out in your bathroom with nasty stuff on your mirrors or let your kids trash the kitchen behind you. Being real with your customers and your life is important. However, showing at least an element of hygiene and cleanliness shows viewers and potential customers how important they are to you.

Rule of Thumb: If you wouldn’t go out on a date or a dinner with friends looking a certain way, then don’t look that way on Facebook Live. Remember, the date happens once. Facebook video is for always!

Make the Customer Feel Safe Participating in Your Facebook Live

When we try new ideas, products, or even ways of selling products, ease of access and ability to purchase is key. In the real world it is shown that even if you can see that amazing business/store/restaurant from the street if there are things that may prevent someone from just pulling into their parking lot and heading straight to the business, the odds are they may not go there. Ever found a great restaurant that you love but the parking lot is so tiny you have to park 3 blocks down? I have! If it is nice out and I am in comfortable shoes, I am likely to take the walk to go. However, when it is 30 degrees out, 6 inches of snow on the ground and I am wearing slippery shoes, heck no I will not go!

It works for the digital world too. If people can’t find you or know what you sell they can’t buy! When you are on video, tell them how to get the product. Make it simple and easy.

Tip: Be like the TSA agent at airport security – every couple of minutes introduce yourself and explain what you are doing in this Live. It is annoying to you but for those who jump on halfway through your Live will thank you!

Customer Engagement and the Emphasis on Creating Value

Customers buy why you sell it not what you sell. Especially when the same product can be purchased from multiple people, it is imperative that people want to buy from YOU! This means providing value to your customers or viewers. In the case of clothing sales, show how versatile a piece of clothing is. Other examples include showing the difference a skin product can change the way it looks and feels by using other examples of people using the product or some kind of knowledge that empowers viewers to understand that it works. The utility of a product, price value, and emotional attachment are all important subjects to touch on in a video promoting a product or item for sale.

Similarly, talk with your viewers! If there are no viewers, don’t worry – there will be! Say hello, answer their questions, ask them how they are. It can be weird at first to be being engaging on Facebook Live. The worst part for me to get over was that I couldn’t see how people were reacting to my actions or words. The only way I got over this was by being just a LITTLE over the top. That caused more people watching me react and stay on my lives longer. Even if it was just a “thumbs up” or a laughing impression, I KNEW people were watching. The more engagement you can get your viewers to participate in and the more reach your video will have on Facebook, the more you learn about the people interested in your items. And, most importantly…Your viewers will feel like you care about them!

Be Inclusive of ALL Potential Viewers and Customers

Remember, there are millions of people in the United States with some sort of disability. Just like I mentioned above, taking a little extra time to make sure you are accessible to others around you who may not be able to just turn on your camera and go buy from you will pay off in the long run. Some examples of being inclusive include:

Showing tags of clothing for sizes, style, pricing

Slowing down your speed of your Live so you take the time to explain different benefits of products or items. Assume no one has ever heard or seen your product

Use captioning, either during your Live or include them afterward. Over 85% of people watch Facebook Lives without the sound whether or not they have a hearing issue.

Answer the questions that people ask; even better, have someone on during your Live that can answer questions into the comment box

Not only is it the right thing to do, but it can result in customer loyalty and retention.

Utilize the Power of the Replay

Make sure after your videos you go in and edit the description of the video. In a business page, you can edit a video so you can add captions, create a title for your video, and even use searchable tags for people to find your video when searching. After you are done with the video, continue to answer questions or comments people post while watching the replay. Don’t just leave the video and be done with it. The more engagement, comments, reactions, etc. the longer life your Facebook Live has!

These are just a few of the tips I suggest but these are ones that are important when using Facebook Live as a funnel in your business. Most of all, treat your viewers like visitors in your house or business and make sure all are respected and valued. Even if you don’t get a sale right away, don’t give up! Sometimes potential customers who take a while to purchase from you are the best kind of customers to have!